Former Magnolias at the Mill chef Erik Foxx-Nettnin forged his own path in August when he started his farm-driven catering company, The Polished Foxx. “The pandemic created a new need,” says Foxx-Nettnin. “I’m offering a culinary solution for whatever the case may be.” His regular bill of fare, which he creates out of Chefscape in Leesburg, includes family meals for four made from local ingredients, but goes all out for holiday specials.
But catering big events and private parties are where the chef gets to show his greatest prowess and he’s launching a preview of what’s to come this weekend. A Foxx on the Rocks is scheduled to take place Friday and Saturday this week and next (Feb. 19, 20, 26 and 27), but Foxx-Nettnin says, “I have a sneaking suspicion it’s going to go beyond that.”
Foxx-Nettnin first met Brad Blymier, owner of War Shore Oyster Company in Portland, Maine, more than a decade ago when Blymier sold him oysters for the raw bar at Mussel Bar & Grille in Arlington. Their longstanding collaboration and friendship continued even after Blymier left Purcellville for Maine. Seafood lovers can thank their lucky stars.
A Foxx on the Rocks will include six varieties of oysters. They’re served a-dozen-per-plate for $15 with a variety of sauces. But the pop-up goes beyond oysters with a variety of raw and seared seafood. Local scallops are served with a peppered maple gastrique. There are poached lobster sliders with lime Kewpie mayo. Peel-and-eat shrimp are blackened and several preparations of mussels appear on the menu in a nod to Foxx-Nettnin’s culinary history. For future dates, the chef says he might add a fish fry for Lent.
Though the goal is to show off what The Polished Foxx might provide at special events, but for foodies who don’t have a big party in their future, these pop-ups are a delicious opportunity.// 1602 Village Market Blvd. SE, Suite 120, Leesburg
For more foodie news, subscribe to our Food newsletter.